Primary Sources

Primary Sources

What is a primary source?

A document or record containing firsthand information or original data.

Primary sources allow researchers to get as close as possible to what actually happened because they are first-hand observations of a time, person or event. They include documents, images or artifacts that contain original and non-analyzed information from the time period being researched. They may be found in their original format or may have been reproduced at a later date. Primary sources are the raw materials that help form the basis for critical analysis of a topic.